Praying Babies

I remember the first time Elias prayed totally on his own at bedtime. I remember my eyes tearing up and recognizing how special that moment was. Elias prays so openly and regularly now, that I had almost forgotten how special that really is.
The way we started praying with each of the kids went something like this:
Mommy: Thank you
Elias: Thank you
Mommy: for family
Elias: for family
And so on and so forth. So far, Elena has only been able to do that. When I say the whole phrase, "Thank you for family", all she repeats back is "family". But tonight was different.
Tonight, Elena prayed completely on her own. It went like this:
Elena: "Dear God, Thank you for Daddy. Thank you for Elias. Thank you for Elena. Thank you for Mommy. Thank you for friends. Thank you for french fries. Thank you for froggy. Thank you for eyes. Thank you for nose. Thank you for face (as she gently rubbed the palm of her hand on my face). Thank you for birds. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. That one there. (pointing to a different bird each time).
Mommy: Thank you for ALL the birds in Elena's room! Amen!
Elena: Amen!